Doctors Back Pregnancy Weight-Gain Limits

Doctors are urging overweight or obese women to gain less weight during pregnancy. The new guidelines come from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. These are the doctors who take care of most pregnant women. The guidelines say that overweight women should gain 15 to 25 pounds during the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy. Obese women should gain no more than 11 to 20 pounds. For women of normal weight, the doctors recommend a gain of 25 to 35 pounds. This should increase to 28 to 40 pounds for underweight women. The advice on weight gain is intended to lower risk to both the woman and the baby. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes. This form of the disease disappears after childbirth. However, it increases the woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes later. Excess weight also can increase the risk of cesarean section.